Dining in the Dark for a Good Cause

Guests ate dinner in complete darkness to raise money and empathy for the visually impaired

By Helaina Hovitz

On May 22nd, the Foundation Fighting Blindness' Fashion Ball: Dining in the Dark benefit forced guests to navigate their meals in pitch blackness, literally giving them a taste of what it's like to be blind.

Fashion industry leaders came together at the Plaza Hotel for the third year in a row to help raise money for sight-saving research for the 10 million Americans affected with blinding retinal diseases, like retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.

"We want to be able to say, 'You have a retinal degeneration and we've got treatment for that,' instead of, 'You're going to go blind,'" said a spokesperson for the Foundation.

The event's Chair, Evan Mittman, CEO of Cipriani accessories, didn't let a sight-robbing genetic disease stand in his way of building his company.

"You make the best out of each day," he said. "There are so many things people with sight take for granted - getting into an elevator and finding your floor, going to a hotel and finding your room."

Mittman, who used to walk into trees while trick-or-treating as a kid, said that in an industry driven by visuals, he was never afraid to say, "I have a problem."

"I use all the tools I do have and try not to worry about the things that I can't do," he said.

This year's Visionary Award was presented to iconic interior designer Jonathan Adler, whose husband, the infamous Simon Doonan, emceed the evening.

Doonan, who referred to Adler as his chauffer, spoke fondly about his blind Aunt Phyllis.

"She once fell into an open grave with her seeing eye dog and thought it was funny. Which, of course, it was," he said. "She laughed louder than anyone else, and that's always how she dealt with it. She had bruises on her shins and didn't seem to care."

This was Doonan's first Dining in the Dark, experience, "Unless you count Hurricane Sandy," he said.

"What else do I do in the dark? Of course, shag," he answered. "I also like to reach out, find my doggie's head, and just pat him on it, and then I like to reach out and find Johnny and pat him on the head, too, because I want to make sure they're both still breathing."

When the lights went out for a one-minute test run before dinner, gasps filled the room, followed by jeers from rambunctious diners. For some, it proved to be too much, and they opted to eat their food in another room.

Of course, some people cheated and took out their phones; they were promptly booed again and again, by the boozier guests in attendance.

Dinner was brought out by visually impaired servers trained to use a system of ropes and stanchions especially for the event.

Many people were able to accurately guess most of the components in their entrée: grilled entrecote of beef with asparagus and baby carrot bundle, mascarpone polenta and a barolo sauce.

"Dessert will be served with the lights on," said Doonan. "Nobody wants hot coffee in their cleavage."

In total, 250 guests helped raise over $425,000 for the Foundation's research efforts.